Broken Dreams (Unhingedverse)
Broken Dreams: Chapter 29

One week later

LINUS

Gazing out at the end of summer from Pack Mohan’s back patio, I sit in awe at how beautiful it is here.

“I know that look,” Wren says softly next to me.

Our packs finally were able to work out a time for us to meet, and I have to admit that I’m glad Callum thought of this with Quinn. She’s inside putting together a snack with Flynn, and you’d have thought we’d all been friends for ages.

We just kind of clicked, even though I was nervous about coming here. My experience with other omegas hasn’t been the best. They’ve all been clingy, petty, and bitchy.

“What look is that?” I ask, glancing at her.

“The look of someone marveling over the beauty of the world,” she murmurs. “Not only that, but someone who hasn’t gotten used to the privilege everyone else takes for granted.”

“Yeah,” I grunt. “No windows, no freedom, and filtered air all day is no way to live. I could go on, but I won’t.”

“Meh. It’s important to replace people who not only understand you, but don’t think you’re a downer when you’re caught reminding yourself that you’re free,” Wren says. “You and Quinn are both so different from me.”

“How so?” I ask.

“I was scared of every alpha in sight,” she explains. “Timid, stifled, I hid the second I could in this house, and refused to come out.”

“I don’t get those vibes from you,” I say honestly. “I get quiet determination instead. If you were scared then and you understand my awe of the world and its little wonders now, then it means you’ve gone through some shit.”

“I’ll attest to that,” Flynn says warmly, walking outside with Quinn next to him with food. “The way you start doesn’t have to be the way you continue. I’m working on that myself.”

People work through their emotions and demons in different ways. Sometimes, you can’t even tell there’s anything wrong outside of the shadows that seem to creep in when they remember something that hurts them.

I know the feeling well.

Quinn snuggles up against me as she eats a cookie, something neither of us would imagine doing at Slick Dreams. Food wasn’t something Bret enjoyed spending money on, so he’d give us the minimum to survive. It also gave us the bodies people wanted.

Now, I recognize that as a lie. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in, and more importantly, I’m healthier too. Quinn glows brighter than I’ve ever seen her, and I love seeing the way her curves are filling out.

Bret can choke on a dick.

“Is it weird to admit that I was nervous to meet you?” Flynn asks, biting his lip as his fingers replace Wren’s.

“No, because I was too,” I say with a wry grin. “I presented really late, and threw myself into my classes while I was at college. After that, the only omegas I’ve been around other than Quinn or Adira were bitchy.”

“God, they were all awful,” Quinn scrawls out on the tablet in her lap.

“For me, I get really anxious around people,” Flynn admits. “I’m sensitive to smells, protective of my space, so I wasn’t sure if this would be a good idea.”

“Which isn’t a bad thing,” I say. “From what I’ve read, those are an omega’s instincts coming into play. I don’t have those, not really.”

“Bret made sure we wouldn’t. He had favorites, and he’d play off jealousy. I’d rather sleep in a corner than buy into his fantasies,” Quinn says, shaking her head.

She never talks about anything before Bret, outside of the alpha’s name. I hate that she’s been hurt so badly she lost her voice.

“Your alphas are planning to kill him and make it hurt, right?” Flynn asks, making a face.

I can’t help but smile at him, because he doesn’t look like the type of person who would be this bloodthirsty. However, after meeting his alphas when they let us into the house and introduced themselves, I think some of the terrifying parts inside of them may have rubbed off.

“Not everyone’s alphas are serial killers,” Wren hisses.

Quinn’s shoulders tremble as she silently laughs, shaking her head.

“I may have to say that ours are,” I tell Wren, smirking. “Callum and Duncan didn’t blink an eye at killing when they broke us out of that club. I think Bret’s days may be numbered as soon as they can replace him.”

“He’s always been a coward,” Quinn says. “This party will pull him out of hiding. I’d bet anything.”

“I’d rather not use you as bait,” I grumble.

“I won’t say it doesn’t yield results,” Wren says, shrugging. “Alphas like that are hardwired to believe that they can own people.”

“A part of me feels badly that I couldn’t help anyone else,” I sigh. “Everyone was working in the main room of the floor, and most of the guards were busy playing out their voyeur fantasies. The late hour helped relax most of them.”

“Sometimes, all you can do is save yourself,” Flynn says. “You’re here with Quinn, which means you made it out. If at some point you can help others, something tells me that you will.”

Nodding, I blow out a breath. It’s hitting me now as I sit here that survivors’ guilt exists. I’ve also begun to remember parts of my nightmares when I wake up, and they’re about me stopping to help people only to get caught.

The subconscious is a rude and evil thing.

Quinn’s hand moves to my thigh and squeezes it to remind me that she’s there. Her existence brings me more peace than I could ever explain. I would be a mess without her in my life.

Flynn and Wren aren’t bothered by silence, and they sit with us as we bask in the warmth of the day. It’s the end of August, which means that we’ll be able to see the leaves change soon. It’s been years since I’ve been able to really enjoy the seasons.

I’m excited for all of it.

“Can I ask an odd question?” Quinn asks, finally breaking the silence.

“I don’t think there’s such a thing,” Flynn teases her. “You can ask us anything.”

“I’ve been trying to replace this answer everywhere, but the internet is failing me,” she says. “As our pack forms, and bond bites happen, I started to wonder about bonds between omegas. Are they possible?”

“You want to bond with me, beautiful?” I ask her, eyes wide.

Quinn gives me an open smile, her eyes sparkling. “Of course I do. I feel like we’re left out, and I want that closeness with you,” she says.

“It’s possible,” Wren says. “It won’t be as strong, but you can do it. Flynn and I have noticed that every few months, we have to renew the bite with each other. We usually replace fun ways to do it.”

Her face flushes as she finishes and we grin at her. I’m sure I can think of a lot of fun ways to renew a bond with Quinn. I’m just glad there’s someone to talk to about this stuff, because the internet isn’t always reliable.

I’d rather have a moment of awkwardness to get to the truth. I’m also glad Quinn asked, because I never would have thought to. Fuck, she wants to bond with me.

I think I feel lightheaded.

“Wow,” I whisper.

“I suppose we could have just tried and seen, but I’ve been scared of failure lately,” Quinn says. “I should be better than this, right?”

“I think the possibility of being let down is worse at times than the action,” Flynn says. “We psych ourselves out of things, lie to ourselves as we promise it’ll be better if we simply don’t try. It’s a shitty cycle.”

“Just do it,” Wren says, nodding. “Like right now.”

“Do what?” I ask, eyes wide. I feel as if I’ve lost control of this conversation.

“Bite each other?” Quinn asks. She doesn’t look like she hates the idea. Wren shrugs as if there’s no better moment. “Linus, give me your thumb.”

Okay, I can handle that. This is such a surreal moment, and my heart is pounding. What if it doesn’t work? What if…

But what if it does?

I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster this week. I’ve rearranged our nest several times, and Quinn has helped me search for the perfect hoodies and t-shirts to steal to sleep in.

Fuck. Quinn is right. We’ve been together for ten fucking years, I want her in my head, because she’s already part of my heart and soul.

“Yes, let’s do it,” I agree, taking one of her hands as she takes the other. “God, I hope no one walks in on us.”

“Aisling and I were talking about sex positions the other day when Everest walked into the living room. He slowly turned around and pretended he never came in,” Wren murmurs, smirking. “I think they’ll survive. Do you need a countdown?”

“Yeah,” I breathe as I stare into Quinn’s gorgeous eyes.

“One, two—” Flynn says.

I kiss the tip of her thumb before biting down just as she does. Her eyes blow wide with surprise before getting cloudy with desire and excitement. I’m not even sure if it worked, but I may have found a new kink that my girl has.

“Can you hear me?” she whispers in my mind.

“Holy fuck,” I gasp, laughing as my eyes widen.

We’re both sporting teeth marks on our thumbs, though there’s not much blood. And I can hear her voice. God, it feels good.

“Hey, Baby Girl,” I say back through the bond. I can feel it like a whisper through the trees, and only if I sit quietly enough to listen for it.

This is so fucking cool.

“It worked,” Wren says happily. “I can tell.”

Scooping Quinn onto my lap, I kiss her hard on her lips before loosely keeping her with me as we continue grinning at each other. I’m so glad we took a chance today.

Sometimes, it’s worth leaping for the promise of flight.

“You two seem really happy,” Duncan observes as he drives Quinn and I home. Callum isn’t with him, which makes me wonder what he’s doing. “Callum got hung up with a work situation. He didn’t look very happy about it, but he’s home waiting for us.”

Smiling at the fact that he practically read my mind, I nod. A part of me has been waiting for the other shoe to drop, to feel as if things may not last. Everything has been so good with the Kelly brothers, it’s surreal.

It’s starting to make me feel as if I’m wrong for not wanting a bond bite. Life is short, and so much is hanging up in the air.

Argh, I hate this feeling of going around and around in my head.

“Nothing will happen”, Quinn says through the bond.

“What did you just do?” Duncan asks, glancing up in the rearview mirror. “That felt…what was that?”

“Pay attention to the road,” I remind him. “Quinn and I wanted to replace out what would happen if we bit each other. So we did.”

“This feels very reminiscent of seven seconds in heaven,” he murmurs, making Quinn and I laugh.

“I do not want to know if you’ve done that,” she says through both our bonds.

I can tell she told both of us, because Duncan winces.

“I actually haven’t,” he says. “Callum got forced into it at a party when he was twelve though.”

Quinn grins because how can you be mad about that?

“So, let’s see the war wounds,” Duncan says.

Quinn and I show him our thumbs, and he barks out a laugh. It’s full of happiness and joy. I love my alphas’ laughter.

“Matching bites, I think that’s fantastic,” he says. “I wonder what a tattoo would look like there.”

Immediately, I glance at Quinn as I feel her excitement.

“You may have opened up a can of worms there,” I tease him.

“Yeah, I can see that,” he says. “I guess I’m booking a tattoo appointment. I have to keep my omegas happy.”

My cheeks hurt from how hard I’m smiling. It’s just enough to keep the anxiety at bay for now, and for that, I’ll cling to every second of it.

My impending heat feels like a climbing wave, getting taller and taller as it hovers over my head. It feels like it’s taunting me, without even a suggestion of when it’ll crash over my head and drown me.

Fuck, I just want to be normal.

QUINN

Things were easier when people didn’t bother to call me. Now, I swear Callum and Duncan are my personal secretaries in the mafia world.

I’m on the phone with Cian Sullivan, and I’m not particularly happy about it. It’s not him, it’s the topic of conversation that I’m having difficulty with. It’s three days after I had a wonderful visit with Wren and Flynn and got to bond with Linus, and now it feels like the universe is fighting for the balance of power.

“The senior members of the families are meeting tonight, and your father is out of town,” Cian says. “We need to put some things to a vote, including the agreement that we will not make any movement to retaliate if your father should happen to die at the party at the Kelly’s home.”

The party is happening in three days. How is that even possible? I feel as if I blinked and time flew by. Duncan and Callum sit across from me as we listen to Cian on the speaker, while I gather my thoughts.

“Quinn has work tonight,” Callum says carefully. He can’t tell if I want to go or not, so he’s trying to give me the wiggle room to get out of this if I want.

Linus practically runs into the room as if feeling my anxiety, looking around for the source of it. Duncan points at the phone, making my best friend snarl at it. I fucking love him so much.

He doesn’t care who’s on the other end, they’re simply the enemy. Walking over to drop down by my feet, he wraps his arms around my waist and lays his head on my lap. Needing something to do, I let myself play with his hair as I think how I’m going to handle this.

“Why?” I ask, not bothering with my tablet. Of all moments, I’m going to try to have a conversation without it.

Quinn Kelly can’t do anything the easy way apparently.

The silence shows that I stunned Cian for a moment. The tablet sounds different enough from my actual voice that it’s noticeable since it’s raspy from disuse and full of emotion.

“Ah. Without context, I’m going to give a few answers to that, Quinn,” he says. I’ve thrown the great Cian Sullivan off his game, and I don’t think that happens often.

“It has to be tonight because it’s the only time when we can get everyone together while your father is out of town and Rory is unable to make it,” Cian begins. “I need you there to be able to state your case if it’s needed.”

Opening my mouth, I shut it as I realize it’s going to need more than a one word response. My tongue also feels as if it’s swelling, though I know it’s not. This is all in my mind, and part of the process of navigating my way through speaking again.

For the record, I hate it. It’s as if the words won’t come out, even if they’re right there in my mind.

Picking up my tablet, I blow out a breath. I’m pissed, but it’s more with myself than Cian.

“I can’t miss work, but I may be able to finish early,” I confirm. “I need to sort it with Cerenity.”

“She’ll be our next call,” Duncan sighs. We all know Cerenity will agree because of the meeting’s importance. I just wish I’d had more of a heads up than mere hours. “The probability of Quinn being on time to this is negligible, Cian.”

“I understand. Give me a time frame once you have an idea, and I’ll throw the least important things on the agenda to the front line,” he says. “I know it’s shit timing, and I apologize.”

“Thank you,” I say with the tablet.

Cian hangs up after saying goodbye, and I groan.

“This isn’t great timing, but it means that we’ll be closer to knowing you’ll be safe,” Duncan says. “Your father does have allies, including our dad, and we can’t have anyone deciding to retaliate. I love my father, however, I love you more. I’m not ashamed to say that.”

“I agree,” Callum says. “Dad’s been acting really weird. One second he’s calling me, which he never does, to offer me other omega options as if it’s a buffet to choose from, and the next he’s telling me that I’m going to regret pissing Hudson off. I don’t fucking get him.”

“I don’t know anything much about this outside of what I overhear, but it sounds like your dads are working on something together,” Linus says. My fingers sink back into his hair, and he rubs his cheek against my stomach to scent mark me.

“We could go back and forth all day,” I mutter through the bonds. I get less exhausted talking this way, I’ve noticed. “Let’s just get through the day, okay?”

Duncan blows out a breath, nodding. “I’ll call Cerenity now, go get ready while Callum makes dinner. I know you don’t like to eat a lot before work, so we’ll do smoothies for now,” he says.

Callum is already rising to start while Duncan picks up the phone, which only leaves Linus to stand up and drag me with him.

“I want you to keep your hair up after work,” he mutters as we walk upstairs. “You need to look like a million bucks when you walk into that room with those old fucking men.”

Linus the stylist has taken over my best friend’s body, which means I’m going to be along for the ride. It’s for the best, because he’s the best at this shit.

Years of helping me with hair and makeup have made him an expert.

Taking a shower together, we keep each other calm through touches, kisses, and washing one another.

“I don’t think this is going to end in any way other than with my cock balls deep inside of you,” Linus murmurs. His large hands squeeze my ass as he lifts me, and I gasp as he presses me against the cool tile wall. “Tell me no.”

“Absolutely fucking not,” I growl through the bond. “Give me your cock.”

Chuckling darkly, he nods. “You’re the boss, baby. It’s got to be quick and dirty,” he says.

“Mine,” I say, wrinkling my nose at him. His grin as he lines his dick up with my entrance is endearing before he’s pulling my body down to take every inch.

My eyes roll as his hands hold me roughly, and he changes his position to thrust up into me. The sounds of moans as he fucks me grow louder as he drives his cock deep inside my cunt, intent to rearrange my insides.

It’s not soft, slow, or anything sweet. It’s raw and delicious, because this is how he’s working through his anxiety. I would much rather he wreck my pussy than spiral without me.

My fingers dig into his shoulders as he ravages my lips, knowing he’s going to have to make me look presentable later. His lips are firm, his tongue demanding, and I have a feeling I’ll be wearing his fingerprints on my skin.

“Are you—” Duncan cuts himself off as he walks further into the bathroom. The scent of his quickly growing arousal smells so good, making me whimper against Linus’ lips. Blackberries are going to always be a dessert that I crave. “Please, don’t stop on my account.”

“I couldn’t stop if I wanted to,” Linus gasps as he comes up for air. “Her cunt is strangling my cock like she’s trying to remove it from my body. Goddamn, Baby Girl.”

All I can do is ghost my hands up to his scalp, my fingers closing on fistfuls of his hair to yank him back in to kiss me. The sound of Duncan unzipping his jeans is loud in the bathroom as the rainfall of water flows down on us, his hand fisting his cock an added bonus to our impromptu shower fucking.

“Is he really jerking off as he watches us?” Linus asks, kissing down my neck as his hips continue to piston and thrust.

My gaze turns to try to see past his shoulders, only to replace our alpha intently watching as his cock leaks.

“Why don’t you use the other wall so you can watch?” Duncan groans, his hand rolling over the crown of his shaft to gather his dripping cream over himself.

“Fuck,” Linus mutters, lifting me away from the wall as I gasp. He relocates me to the wall that’ll allow us both to watch Duncan, never pulling his cock out of my cunt. I’m dripping wet, sure that my slick is covering Linus’ balls as well as his stomach.

Being an omega is messy. It doesn’t help that he’s just as aroused, his cock thrusting extra precum and slick deep inside of my body.

“You feel so good,” Linus moans, grinding against me. Each movement hits my clit perfectly, and I tear at his hair as I writhe.

“I’m already so close to coming,” Duncan growls. “I love watching the way Linus fucks you. Your greedy little nub is getting the perfect amount of attention, isn’t it, sweet girl?”

His words make me keen as an embarrassing amount of slick slides out of me.

“Oh fuck,” Linus gasps. I know he felt that, along with the pulse of my pussy as it makes it her mission to milk his cock dry. “That’s it, Quinn. Give it all to me.”

Duncan’s noises turn me on as I watch him twist and turn his hand in corkscrew motions around his cock, his knot large and thick.

“Fist your knot,” I beg him through the bond. “Pretend it’s my cunt.”

“Such a dirty fucking mouth,” Duncan gasps. “Watch me, baby. This is for you both. Make our girl come, Linus.”

His other hand squeezes his knot hard, and he works himself over roughly with both hands. The view makes Linus squish his cheek against mine so we can watch together, my eyesight slowly threatening to darken. My toes are tingling as I cross my feet at his back, and Linus’ curved cock strokes my g-spot in a way only he can.

“Argh,” I scream, unable to even think of stringing sounds together to make words. I’m overcome with sensations, my mind void of anything other than needing to fucking come.

“That’s a good girl,” Linus rasps. “Your pussy is fluttering beautifully around my cock. Our alpha is holding on just for us, baby. Give the man some mercy and let go.”

The words ring true, because Duncan’s throat is thickly corded as he struggles to hold on. The crown of his cock is red and angry, begging for the mercy Linus talks about.

And so, as my chest heaves and my eyes begin to leak with tears from how intense this moment is, I let go, crying out as I come around Linus’ cock. Duncan’s roar as he replaces his release makes the hair on my body stand at attention, and Linus whines as he shudders, exploding as he coats the walls of my pussy with his cum.

He holds me as we struggle in the aftermath of orgasms, and Duncan strips off his clothes as he climbs into the shower with us now that he’s wearing his release all over his washboard abs.

“If we’re going to be late, I may as well take care of my omegas,” he rumbles, taking the detachable showerhead to help us clean up.

I couldn’t agree with him more. God, we’re so damn lucky. Even in the face of all the shit we’re facing, there’s time to bask in how much our alphas add to our lives.

CHRISTIAN

It’s been almost a month since I rolled into Minneapolis and refused to leave. That’s ten mafia meetings, twenty days of building a new house, and pushing the idea of making patrolling of the city’s streets into a reality.

Mafia men gossip when they’re working through problems. Things their mates have told them, things they’ve overheard or are worried about. One of those things was whether or not the streets were safe after dark in Minneapolis.

No one wanted to do anything about it other than talk in circles, so I finally asked if I could help put together groups to patrol the city. I’m not sleeping more than a few hours a day anyway, I needed something to do in the long hours of the night other than stare at the ceiling.

It turns out, that’s all the old men needed to get their asses in gear. Someone on the outside to shame them.

I’m patrolling the city within a three person group, and they’re always different people, different designations. Everyone has been worried, wanting to organize, but needed the agreement of those higher up before they could do so.

Now that this is no longer a problem, sign-ups have made their way through the community, with four groups patrolling on any given night from the hours of ten at night until five in the morning. Once I finish my shift, I grab a shower before going to the transitional living construction site.

Some nights, there’s no trouble, while others we’ll offer to walk people home when we see them out late. The first few times we were met with surprise and terror, until they realized we were for real.

I can count four nights in the past twenty that I’ve found the trouble that I’ve been patrolling for. Once, I was with a college aged alpha who clearly has mafia ties named Bentley, and a beta enforcer. An omega named Orla was on her way home from her bartender job, and was fighting off a couple of bruisers who were trying to drag her into an alley.

Refusing to fuck around, I yanked one of them away, drew my gun, and shot him in the head. The people with me, beat the shit out of the other guy while Orla caught her breath against the wall of the building next to us, not even batting an eye when I killed him too.

I found out that night that the mafia community had a really good response time when I called my contact and explained what happened.

Even the people who thought this was overkill have stopped complaining, and there’s a zero tolerance policy for anyone caught hurting someone while we’re patrolling. The pigs have been eating really well, I was told at my last meeting with Corbin a few nights ago.

My lips twitch as I sigh, trying to get my mind on what I need to get dressed. I’m just glad that each encounter where I’ve found people being robbed or interrupted a kidnapping filled the darkness that’s been starved for attention. I know there’s not a chance for complete redemption for my soul, I’m too fucked for that.

The only kind I need is from my omegas. I can appreciate the good work I’ve been doing for others, but it’s not enough.

Looking critically at my closet, I see two sets of clothes on either end. One set is what I call ‘before Minnesota’ and the other is ‘after’. All of my heavy lifting each day as I help build Omega’s Haven’s transitional living home has made my body change drastically.

My arms and legs are full of corded muscle, which means that I no longer can wear the clothes I used to. Instead, I had to commission new suits in order to accommodate my body. On the left side of the closet are well loved jeans and t-shirts as well as sweatpants.

It’s amusing to me to see the way Minneapolis has written its story along my skin, making me decide that it’s growing on me. Getting dressed in a gray suit, I pocket my phone, checking my reflection to ensure I didn’t fuck up the buttons on my vest.

While some things have changed, I’m still meticulously put together. I also have more facial hair, the goatee I’ve always had fuller than the last time I saw my omegas.

Tonight is important. It’s the night that the select senior mafia members will be voting on my ability to stay in Minnesota. If this doesn’t go my way, I’ll never have the chance to make things right with Linus and Quinn.

For a group that tends to drag their feet, this moved faster than I thought it would. The interminable meetings weren’t as bad as Corbin made them out to be, and I think I’ll miss this all, along with what could have been if they deny my bid to stay here.

Blowing out a breath to clear the nerves, I grab my keys and wallet from the kitchen counter as I move through the apartment to leave. I turn out lights except for one for luck as my mom used to say as part of her superstitions, and then I’m out the door.

I’ve been thinking about her more in passing, wishing things had been different than they were. I think all men have regrets as they get older, and my mother is one of mine. If things had been different, she’d still be alive today.

The elevator feels as if I’m moving in slow motion as it carries me down to the garage. Tonight is the culmination of a lot of work. It feels surreal to be heading to what could be my last meeting if this vote doesn’t go well.

I can feel myself getting spacy as I get closer to arriving, my mind threatening to drift as I move on autopilot.

I barely pay attention as I walk across the garage, unlocking the new truck I bought last week. It’s still flashy, but I like it better than the ridiculously expensive Mercedes coupe I sold. I also like that there’s so much more leg room as well.

Change doesn’t necessarily bother me usually, but there’s been a lot of it in a short time frame. Most of it has been for the best. My personality has shifted as well, and I’m replaceing myself caring more about others

The noises of the city around me silences as I close the door to the truck, and I replace myself annoyed by it. If my brain is going to be chaotic, the world around me may as well match it.

Fuck, I need to get a damn grip.

Pulling on my seatbelt, I move through the inevitable things that I do every time I get into a vehicle. Once the truck is on, the engine purring away the way I want to for my omegas, I flick on the radio. The heavy metal sounds of Stone Demons begin to pulse through the speakers, and I decide that’ll match my mood.

My hand shifts the truck into gear, and I start my drive to the gentlemen’s club where I had one of my first meetings. It seems to be where a lot of business is conducted, which is amusing. Every mile is bringing me closer to replaceing out if I’ve impressed enough people, or if they’ve merely been humoring me.

If there’s a saint for good luck, I whisper a prayer to them as I turn up the volume of my music even more.

Please, please, show favor to me tonight.